- Poetic life pessimism
One of Hans Christian Andersen's beautiful, but simultaneously pessimistic
life adventure, "The Fir-Tree" (1845), represents a kind of
'biography' of a tree's life story. During his childhood in the forest were
the tree often been overlooked, even the hare offered it no attention, but
sprang not care about it as easy as nothing. But as we know, saw the tree his
greatest joy on Christmas Eve, as it had been felled and was beautifully decorated and all the lit candles on its branches
gave glare in both children's and adults' eyes. The tree had therefore
afterwards find it difficult to understand that when it had been for so much
joy that it would end in a dark corner in the attic, where the interim could be
allowed to lie and wither. The tree had been
here only company of the little mice, who would rather hear about things that
could be eaten, but as yet there was a comfort and encouragement, because they
do not blame the tree its discontent with his destiny. But after the tree’s
view, the mice did nothing of the whole. However, one day there should be
cleared up at the attic, and the Christmas tree was taken down and used as
firewood under the laundry room cobber. All that survived of the
once-shiny decorated tree was twinkling Christmas star from the tree top, but
in a way and at least had come to the
new honor and dignity, namely as ornaments on a small happy boy's proud chest
when he played soldier and paraded around the courtyard with his playmates. (1)
As probably as familiar, so ends Andersen’s tale of the life-pessimism that
shines out of Ecclesiastes, whose wisdom and moral is that everything may well
be obliged by law, but also fleeting and transitory, or short, that everything
is over, yes, even the story of "The Fir-Tree" will one day pass and
as everything else be crushed away in the grind mill of oblivion. But in his
next fairytale: "The Snow Queen" from the same year, one of
Andersen's leading fairytales, because the mood and the conclusion is quite
different, yes, indeed totally opposite, for herein, the word
"eternity" is a watchword in life puzzle, a word, which more
accurately means "immortal soul", so everything ends up in joy and
merriment and a belief that the Bible's words that "Except ye become as
little children, ye shall not be in the kingdom of God!" (2)
In both cases, both in "The Fir-Tree" and "The Snow
Queen", is it beyond the literal Act of Andersen himself, more specifically
about his own psyche. As noted earlier and discussed here on the website, he
had so to speak, a "pendulum-mind" which almost manic-depressive
swung between life optimism and life pessimism. He had optimism right up to the
dizzying heights, and a pessimistic way down into the deepest dark nightly
background. He was not in the sense of manic-depressive, but suffered only
during periods of severe mood swings, usually caused by external circumstances
not always shaped it as he could wish for. Yet his life optimism prevailed
After all, so that he as late as the year before his death in August 1875,
could end up one of his very latest, written poems, "The old man"
(1874) with the following promising words:
The force
that subordinates' every planets cource
at the word
"Stay!"
The
Providence, from which emanated love,
have
eternal life.
- The soul
that God in his image have created
is
imperishable can not be lost;
Our
terrestrial life here is eternal seed,
Our body
'dies but the soul can not die! (3)
But Andersen's optimistic view of the human personality or soul's existence
after the physical body's death, was still challenged by his occasional
uncertainty, scepticism and doubt, to his mind again swung into a
life-pessimism, which among others was reflected in the poem "Heavy Hours.
"This poem he wrote a few months before and during the illness, which led
to his death. He died probably of liver cancer and was 70 years and 5 months.
The poem reads in all its sadness and supplication to God for mercy as follows:
Our time now writes in his book
of wisdom;
is it for good or for worse?
It's awful to be so clever
that you do not believe in Our Lord!
Oh, it was better for every one
who despise each poor gifted
to his neck hung a millstone,
and he was basically in the ocean.
Now all the
excess clever know:
God is created by human ingenuity,
and man is the "infallibility"
an element is the source of life.
Everything we aspired and lived 'and suffer,
quenched as the flame of life.
In a bottomless nothing we sink down,
Good and evil are one and the same.
O Eternal God, stay with us! Stay!
In you and through you all is given!
Grant to us in grace "eternal life"
and remembrance of life on Earth! (4)
When Andersen in the poem writes: "Grant to us in
grace "eternal life"" so it is the latter probably put in quotes
because "eternal life", after all, so to say can only be forever, for
always and always to be and have been forever. What Andersen believes may be:
Grant us in grace a belief that Our life is everlasting. But Andersen's
"pendulum-mind" contented himself, despite everything, not only with
life-pessimism, because shortly before writing the poem "Heavy
Hours", he had written the life optimistic poem "The Miracle"
that belongs to his very latest, written poems, which confirms his thinking in
the last verse of the poem "The Old Man". The poem "The Miracle"
sounds in all its brevity and optimism like this:
From the
pyramid in the desert sand
a mummy was brought to the north country,
it was embalmed for three thousand years,
in the hieroglyphs it is written;
once a queen in Glory and splendour.
A wheat grain ears in her Hand was laid.
It planted 'now after three thousand years,
and it sprouted 'forward as soon as it was spring,
set ears and bore grain and - strengthened Our faith.
After three thousand years it could still grow!
- Such a life in a grain is loaded!
How big is then power of the human soul?
Its case into the ground lays down
but have their own lives to God's eternity.
The miracle of wheat grain you see:
You can not understand it, but look - it happens! (5)
Prior to the also previously quoted above
life optimistic words about the immortal soul, was there for Andersen actually
gone a lifelong spiritual struggle to convince especially himself about God's
universal love and the soul's immortality. The affirmative opinion of which he
certainly did not just happen, as he time and again had to fight against both
his own and contemporary scepticism and doubt. He was born and grew up in an
era of Cultural history have described as romantic, some of which arose as a
reaction against the Enlightenment with its intellect and sense worship.
Romanticism legalized rather the use of skills as emotion, imagination and
intuition, which, among other things found inspiration in the pre-Christian
Greek culture. But the more intelligent and down to earth personality, could
not put up with the idealization of the spiritual values or the historical and
Cultural retrospective, as Romanticism stood for, they looked more
realistically at what the everyday experience of testifying, that among other
things was natural causes and explanations for everything, and that certainly
did not need a God as the cause explanation of life and the world. And the view
that humans have an immortal soul and eternal life, it was seen at best
unlikely and at worst the illusory thoughts, created on the basis of ignorance
and naiveté. Natural science seemed to support and verify the naturalistic and
realistic perception of life, and thus was the materialistic and atheistic
spiritual desert hike begins, a journey that still today takes place in and
especially the western secular culture and the modern science reductionism,
which reduces spirit and soul to the products of physical-chemical forces and
laws, more accurately to products of the physical brain anatomy and physiology.
Psychology, or more specifically neuro-psychology, is thus reduced to a matter
of brain physiology. (6)
It was precisely the problems mentioned above, more or
less intensely occupied Andersen of adolescence, right up to his death the
1875th Literary terms it comes to expression as early as 1825, when he wrote
the poem "The Soul" which is about the soul's fate and situation of
the physical body's death. The poem begins optimistically by noting that the soul is
the spirit that gives life and force, even if it is possibly a light spirit,
which has fallen from his sky, and now the dust band is waiting for the new
wing to bring it back to its original heavenly home high among
star crowd. But the poem's fifth verse contains questions about the soul
perhaps by a temporary stay in a friendly star must first be purged of his earthly desires and bad habits before it could
gain access to heaven. Already by this
verse we see that the poem - albeit indirectly - also about what both
new-platonism and Martinus' Cosmology called ‘the living being 'entanglement'
in the matter - and thus of its predecessor - the world, and its later
'development' and liberation from it. But then, the poem's sixth and
penultimate verse, reports the scary thought is whether the soul may just be a
product of the body’s physics and chemistry, and therefore cease to exist when
death occurs. The verse reads:
Or - no! ha
horrid thought! -
Spirit perished you at Our death.
Horrid horrible idea
sent from the deep-dark lap.
Oh why would you then burn
for heaven's high peace.
I wonder why the Lord turned
inkling of eternity –
live and enjoy was then O God
life's big true bid. (7)
The idea that the soul may be only an
illusion, and thus imaginary product of the physical body physics and
chemistry, more precisely of brain anatomy and physiology, tormented Andersen
in pessimistic moments of his life, and seemed almost unbearable. It shows several of his poems, fairy tales and stories, some more overtly than others. But fairy tales part, you come into the tale of ”The Fir-Tree”, as
mentioned, for the first time more consistently on the idea of transitoriness
of the soul and everything else. Let us therefore in the following try to
analyse this otherwise very Beautiful and touching adventures during the
perspective of the four levels of interpretation.
The tale "The Fir-Tree"
seen in the first level of interpretation
First, however, we just look at what the wonderful adventure "The
Fir-Tree" is about. As already mentioned in the introduction, it is about
a fir-tree's life and destiny. The story begins when we first meet the tree in
the forest, where it stands with the other fir-trees and pine trees, and where
it is so tiny that it feels undervalued and overlooked. Even hares shows the disdain that by jumping over it, which
was of great annoyance to the tree. It is thought only to grow and want to be big and
adult, for it might then be the only Beautiful in the world. The tree was therefore impatient and had no rest in itself,
but noted however, that the wood-cutter came in autumn and harvested some of
the older, main and tall trees that had branches cut away, so you could see how
tall and slender they were, when they were taken away on horse-drawn wagons. But the tree was eager to
know what further happened to the felled trees, and therefore asked the swallow
and the stork, whether they knew anything about it.
Swallows did not know, but the stork, which is a
migratory bird that annually draws the long road to the heat of Egypt, to
winter, meant to know. It had, on his flight to the exotic country met and seen
some ships with tall masts, and as these smelled of pine, it would have
probably be trees from fir-tree forest that was. And immediately wanted the
tree to grow big and felled for mastering one of the big ships and sail out
into the wide world to see about. But sunbeams warned spruce tree about not
having as big hurry, but instead rejoice in his youth and enjoy it while it was
there. It neither could nor would it stubborn spruce why the wind kissed it and
the dew wept tears over it with compassion.
At Christmas time, saw the tree to its mixed pleasure that some of the younger
and prettiest trees were felled and taken away, but when the tree does not, in
their case knew what was then the trees, said the sparrows for advice. And
sparrows knew it, for they flew occasionally into the big city, where they
peered into people's windows, and here they had seen the trees stand in the
middle of each warm room where they were decorated with apples, gingerbread,
toys and many small candles. But more sparrows had not seen. The impatient
spruce thought now, that being a decorated tree in a warm room, had to be
something even better than being ship's mast, so it began immediately to
craving and desire, to be harvested and brought into the great city. While air
and sunlight warned the tree and said: "Rejoice in thy fresh youth out
into the open" so the tree prevented the longing and impatience it to
understand and abide by the more experienced.
But when the day came as the fir-tree have looked
forward to with great impatience and longing, and when it was felled, it was
still sad to be parted from the place which the tree regarded as his ancestral
home, from the flowers and bushes all around, and from small birds, so it was
farewell and departure not as easy as the tree had imagined. The tree ended up
so far to be planted in a large bucket with sand and put into a very large and
spacious living room, where it was decked out with everything they had dreamed
of: sweets, golden apples, walnuts and figs and - not least - the many small
lights. And as the adorn of all adornment, it received an honourable gold star
placed on top. It pleased and delighted, of course, all of fir wood vanity,
because it felt it had become the centre of attention. But himself equal, it
could hardly wait for it to be tonight, so all its lights were lit, so you
really could see all its decorations.
And there was evening, none other than Christmas Eve, and
jubilant children and happy adults gathered around the tree in common joy with
it. But what was it now!? The children danced around the tree and then began to
loot it for all the toys, and the adults took care of the give-aways for them,
who were also hanged on the tree. It seemed the tree is not really about, and
certainly does not mean that all the bright lights were turned off as they
burned to the branches, they were fastened on. And while the children began to
play with the toys they had received, and the adults looked at their gifts, had
everyone's attention turned away from the tree, with the exception of one older
Nanny who only were interested in it, hoping to find a fig or an apple, which
had not yet been picked from the tree and eaten. It seemed the tree definitely
not about.
But suddenly it was raided and a little miserable look of wood again receive
attention, namely when the children demanded that a little fat man would tell
them a story. The man sat namely beneath the tree and gathered the children
around him and said he would only tell one story: either the "Humpty
Dumpty who fell downstairs, and yet married a princess!" Or the "Ivede-Avede
"? But the man said that both the children and the tree would be Good to
hear a story, and so he chose to tell the "Humpty Dumpty". While the
man read out, thought the tree that it even wanted to be like Humpty Dumpty and
fall down the stairs and get a princess, and it rejoiced already the next
evening because it believed that all the homage would be repeated.
But to the inexperienced tree’s surprise, the next morning, it was
picked and dragged up in the attic, where it was placed in a dark corner. The
tree did not understand what it had to do there? It was however plenty of time
to think about, because it was below the rest of the winter, and therefore
thought that it was carefully thought of people that because they could not
plant it in the frozen ground, so they let it winter and be sheltered until
spring. However, there was dark and lonely in the attic, and it seemed the tree
after all, was not nice. But to its surprise, got it one day visited by two
little mice, who slipped in between the branches and sniffed at it, but it was
not in itself eatable. They therefore began instead to talk to the tree, and
asked where it came from? Whether it perhaps came from the pantry, where there
are so many things that are eatable for mice. But the tree did of course not
know nothing, so instead told his life story to date, which the little mice
think was interesting and thought that the tree had to be very happy.
The next night came the little mice to visit the tree again, this time in the
company of several other little mice, who also wanted to hear the tree tell.
And while it said it came to think of Humpty Dumpty, whose history it is
believed that it might even be able to get to experience and therefore end up
with a princess. The fir-tree thought of a the tree in the shape of a small,
neatly birch that stood out in the forest where the fir-tree itself had grown
up. And when the tree mentioned Humpty Dumpty would the little mice like to
hear the story. That Night came yet more mice, and on Sunday even two rats, all
wanted to hear the story, but after hearing it, the rats seemed that it was a
bad story because it was not about bacon and tallow candles and what who else
was in the storeroom, then a real pantry history. Then the little mice suddenly
think like the rats and left like this the warm corner where the tree once
again stood alone. Now was also the joy gone, but the tree reminded himself
that it really would understand to look forward in time, when it now was soon
retrieved from the darkness and into light again.
The day came when one morning the tree was dragged down the stairs from
the attic and was thrown out in the yard, which adjoined a garden where all the
plants and lime trees were in blossom and swallows flew spring giddy about. We
were all fir-tree, which is now thought that his life would begin anew, and
therefore stretched and stretched it out its branches, but that now to his
grief all the branches were withered and yellow. The tree collapsed again and
was aware that it lay in a corner among weeds and nettles, and realised that it
had been discarded. But the sun shone, despite all the glittering gold star,
who still sat in the tree’s withered top. Among children who were playing in
the yard, was also a small boy who had an eye on the gold star, and he to fetch
it, he stomped on the tree’s withered branches that crunched beneath his boots.
While the tree was thinking of his youth in the woods and on the festive
Christmas Eve and the little mice in the attic, which had welcomed the story of
Humpty Dumpty. It was now all over, the tree was no Humpty Dumpty, who got his
princess, and better were it not as the servant came and chopped the tree into
pieces and burned it on fire during the copper. The tree's life, ambitions,
hopes and dreams were over, it burned to ashes, and while the boys were playing
merrily in the yard, and the little boy who had taken the gold star, and had
fastened it on the heart’s space on his coat. The star, who had been the
fir-tree's pride, the tree whose life story was now over, the tree was over and
the story of "past, past, and it becomes all the stories!" (8)
The tale of "The Fir-Tree"
seen in the second level of interpretation
Andersen's overarching idea or moral in and with the story of "The
Fir-Tree" is quite simply that one should live in the moment and enjoy
while the time is, and not always look eagerly forward and ask for other
experiences than the ones currently experiencing or desire to be a different
place than where you actually are. For with such an attitude to life, you risk to overlook
and miss the experiences that lie in the moment. The Now, which of course is
essential for the future, may be present, or it could be days or the current
situation you are in, but perhaps more or less ignored and therefore do not
experience fully, because you are constantly busy of wishes and hopes for the
future. The opposite attitude or mind set of
what Andersen eventually learned was unwise, he had even been back to his
childhood when he heard and read about famous men's lives and deeds, and he
wanted to be like when he was growing up. Therefore, his youth also constantly
looking ahead and want to be something more than what he actually was. He was virtually permanently
dissatisfied with his at all times current situation. Already in the last of
his first three years in Copenhagen, he dreamed of becoming a great poet, which
he showed up by publishing his first book, "Youth Studies" (1822),
which he published under the pseudonym "William Christian Walter" where
the first name stood for William Shakespeare, another name for Hans Christian
Andersen, and the third and last name of Walter Scott. The book was not successful, either artistically or sales
perspective, so also in this context, he experienced disappointment and
dissatisfaction. Nevertheless
the book is interesting because it is Andersen's first published book.
While Andersen in the years 1822-26 was school student in Slagelse and Elsinore
in 1826-27, he continued to dream of becoming a great poet, which he is not
otherwise concealed to his surroundings. At that time he corresponded
extensively with, among other well-meaning his motherly friend, Mrs. Henriette
Wulff, who was then living with her husband and her three teenage children at
Naval Cadet Academy in the Brockdorff Palace at Amalienborg. The then
39-year-old Mrs. Wulff felt that school student Hans Christian Andersen was a
little too verbose and flighty in his ambitions, which she not concealed, even
to himself. It shows, for example by one of her letters to him - he was good 18
years - dated "Naval Cadet Academy on
November 15, 1823”, to be reproduced here in its entirety, but with
modern spelling:
Good Andersen! They be right, thanks for your two last
letters and the heartfelt concern you express, that we
are either sick or I would be angry with you. No, good Christian Andersen! Their diligence and attention
to yourself by whatever you are doing, you must be the guarantie that your
friends who know young people can not be angry at you. They fail because it is ignorance, and such errors, we have
probably all been guilty of, about and of different nature, and when should the
elderly do not be angry at us, but correct us. Thus, good Christian Andersen, I wanted
to write you a whole dissertation on a small mistake, you are very prone to,
and as you may suffocate because it works and works harmful to your physical. -
It is always for you, good Christian Andersen, as if you were born for
something great. The greatest thing a man can be born to, is: to become the
state and himself a useful and upright citizen - he will be in what position in
life he than will. They think good Christian
Andersen, to be born to a great poet - no, it's not you, and at least you may
imagine it yourself. You are by nature given good sense, but they are so neglected in your
childhood that when age was in which your mind and talent had the opportunity
to be seen by people outside your circle, and they found that it was heavy, a
good who were you given, was away win without effect, and therefore praised you
and did something to you - when did you, good Christian Andersen, I will not
say too much, but a too tense idea about your own abilities - not with account
of what you can learn, for there is your ability really great, and here comes
your commendable diligence - but in terms of your imagination and talent for
the higher poetry. Their poetry is monotonous,
your imagination repeats itself; They go up into the higher, it will be -
forgive a mother, because as such I speak in this moment with you - lyrical and
goes easily into an incoherent profligacy. What you have talent for
one, think me and several people I've talked to about you, comic tales in
prose. - My husband has read your little hexameter verse, but he says it's not
real hexameters. For everything, dear Andersen, flattery you not to become a
Oehlenschläger, a Walter Scott, a Shakespeare, a Goethe, a Schiller, and ask no
more, which of these they will serve you for this - for they are none of them!
- And this too daring thought and vain pursuits could easily destroy any other
Good, healthy, vigorous plant that was dismantled with you, to be helpful and
honest to yourself and your fellow man. - They may not find good Andersen that
I have been too severe in my judgements and ruthless in how to communicate
them, but we have so often spoken of you with more of your friends that the
unfortunate notion that you had about poetry, hurt you much, but nobody would
tell you. After receiving your last letter, I decided to do it, considered it
my duty. - That it goes so well with you in the new class, pleases me and all
of us heartily. Find you with patience and gratitude in the small difficulties
that may be received, - by such leading many lives with her. Also make sure
your health, Good Andersen; I do not like that you sit up too late at night,
and I would quite like when we have the pleasure to see you for Christmas that
you then had become a little fat, saw a little briskly out and was quite
contentedly. - The third part of Oehlenschläger has not come out yet, but when
it comes, but when it comes, it will be sent to you, as well as the novel. -
Rest assured that the good Lord will not leave you, his roads led people to you
who will direct you to skills that will develop and create your abilities and
make you an active and happy member of the noble society, and then will your
talent here and there sprinkle small flowers on you and your surroundings
roads. - Let us again soon hear from you, good Christian Andersen! We welcome you all right heartily, and our
best wishes follow you forever. / Henriette Wulff. (9)
The
essential of Mrs. Wulff's letter is not really that she believed that
Andersen's ambitions to become a big, yes, one of the greatest poets, was unrealistic,
misguided and presumptuous, because it took the good lady indeed totally wrong,
but it is however, that for her letter more or less directly evident that
Andersen was impatient and not fast enough to get to take his - his own and,
indeed, a recent opinion - God-given and well-deserved place in the
international poet Parnassus. It was the later the fact that the name H.C.
Andersen in its field might well compare with the poetic names, Mrs. Wulff
mentions in her letter, namely Oehlenschlaeger, Walter Scott, Shakespeare,
Goethe and Schiller.
But Andersen’s after the well-meaning and intelligent, but bourgeois Mrs. Wulff
believes presumptuous obstinacy, she could not put up with, so she repeated
exhortations in several of her following letters. She tried to educate him also of his appearance and manner
to behave at all in the best sense, and - of course in vain. It appears that both of her letters to him and partly by his letters to
her, but probably as much in an adventure as "The Ugly Duckling" (1844),
in which he has portrayed Mrs. Wulff in the guise of hen who together with the
cat - an image of Edvard Collin - feel themselves as significant people in the
old woman, whose house they live in.
It should be added that Andersen's good and almost life-long friend, Edvard
Collin, had no particularly good understanding of Andersen’s mental naturel,
nor of his importance as a poet. But it was not everyone in Edvard’s own
family, who shared his view of Andersen. It focused on the feudal nobility Countess Jonna Stampe, born
Drewsen, who as the eldest child of Ingeborg Drewsen, born Collin, Andersen had
known from her birth in 1827. Based on his reading of her uncle's manuscript of
the book "H.C. Andersen and the Collin's house "(1882), Jonna Stampe
felt it necessary to include in its bold comments in a letter dated March 1878,
not long before her own death due to illness, to make the following urgent
words about Andersen:
You are certainly right that I
follow with interest your work on ANDERSEN; it is me just concerned that people
should get to know him from his human side, his heart conditions, his
friendship with the Collin family. I therefore think so very well about the
beginning, the Meisling letters about grandfather's appearance and personality
of ANDERSEN, as it turned out that in an almost Dickensian touching way. also
letters to you how the exacting, irritable yet loving side with him so strongly
up and finally letters to Louise. Such insight into Andersen's childhood and adolescence can only you
give.
But when I was not so fully satisfied with the marginal notes to his life
story, it lies in the fact that I do not think you see with enough distance on
the temporal trends, or at least not feel something of what I feel about
ANDERSEN. I feel the fact that
he really was a swan and a time was regarded as an ugly duckling. He felt wings
grow without being able to make themselves ready for this emotional partial
justification to give others that feeling. For him, all
discipline and all the reprimand war only inhibitor; he felt unfairness but not
justification. Therefore he
panted beneath all language correction and to weigh the same weight as others. I think that
even if you have belonged to yon time position here in Denmark, even though it
has retained his fondness for it, so you will now, however, not be blind to the
fact that it was somewhat narrow-minded and pedantic, where form played a more
major role than necessary and that those who could not follow this direction,
light came to stand outside and thus be wronged. Society could then be no different as it could not be ahead
of its time, so it should not be criticized for it, but it must be borne in
mind, I think, in assessing ANDERSEN. He belonged in my opinion to the 4
major prophets, but was hardly rank among the 12 small, and therefore had to
groan under a yardstick, he could not match. This, I think, was his first
contemporaries unconscious guilt
against him. His guilt was against it, to demand recognition as a swan before
he had it and that was he first since he wrote his fairy tales. Then he had another fault like this
unconsciously, his imagination unreliability in terms of people's relationship
with him. You call it hyperexcitability, but I have known people with this kind of
nature, I feel assured that it is an insanity in their imagination that gets
this to really believe what really has not happened. They suffer just as much
under these fancies as under real abuses, and go to their grave, insure that
their perception is true. This
error has ANDERSEN prepared himself and other great anguish, and yet I consider
him insane therein. (10)
A
little later in the letter Jonna Stampe continues to write the following:
[...] But so great is my
interest in what you publish, I have taken upon me to dictate this. I seemed
that it might do good to Andersen's memorial, there was granted him an
understanding that he would miss in his own time, but no one could give him
better than one that has stood him as near as you - the concession namely, that
Andersen's first contemporary was too narrow to fully understand him and that
his irritability was not alone in a morbid state of mind, but also was
justified by the circumstances. It was this tone of sympathy, which I missed in one small section,
which has brought me to express my opinion. [...] (11)
Truly a loving and
understanding woman's words about a friend who is in a good many years had been
her and her family very close, a woman who also had a passion for him in her
youth and he for a transition also had been a little in love with her.
The tale of
"The Fir-Tree" seen in the third level of interpretation
The
third interpretive plan is as familiar in an interpretation or translation of
the biographical or autobiographical elements in the literary text, in this
case, the tale of "The Fir-Tree". Here, as already mentioned,
immediately determined that Andersen rewriting itself as a fir-tree and its
life history as his own life story, from his early childhood, and to around
1844, when the tale was written and printed. He had at that time and already
the year before retold his life story in the interim delightful fairy tale
"The Ugly Duckling", but this adventure ended optimistic that it
disliked and scolded Ugly Duckling came to honor and dignity as a beautiful
swan. The then widely traveled Andersen was at
one of the heights in his writing career, but had to turn personal problems and
with his personal life, especially in the love life area. Moreover, during his
trips abroad with their new cultural and revolutionary political movements,
especially in Germany and France, currents since at least July Revolution in
France in 1830 pointed in the opposite direction to that which the romantic
movement stood and had stood for. It was the effects of some of the Enlightenment period’s
more realistic thoughts and ideas of free expression and freedom of action,
which was still greater influence, at least in certain circles of society.
Simultaneously did science experience substantiated new discoveries a still
stronger force in life-and world-view, at the expense of the religious and
idealistic approach to life. All of which meant
that materialism and atheism got wind in its sails.
Personally, Andersen was torn in his relationship with the new cultural trends,
as he on one side not only accepted and recognized, but actually fundamental
was excited to science and technology progress, simultaneously with, the
growing materialism and atheism, as these advances inevitably led, certainly
not liking him. A large part of his life and a
significant part of his writing came later to be about a personal showdown with
the attitudes, thoughts and ideas which gave rise to a materialistic and
atheistic life and worldview. But mind you, when his mind was in the optimistic
life rent, for in his life pessimistic moments, he felt compelled to accept and
admit the materialistic life and world view of a dominant position on the
"Parnassus". It happened in such moments that the biblical skilled writer reread
Ecclesiastes, whose wisdom he cherished and loved for very suggestive, after
all, that the preacher was right in his view of the world's transience and
impermanence. This reading, in conjunction with the new Cultural trends in
Europe, resulted in Andersen in writing of such an adventure or tale as "The
Fir-Tree".
But in addition to life's transience and impermanence,
is the tale of "The Fir-Tree" also about Andersen's personal ambition
to become something big, and his impatience and dissatisfaction that it could
not go fast enough. This ambition to accomplish something significant, Andersen
came right from childhood, and indeed most of the rest of his life. But as
stated ambition began already in his childhood which he among
other things, expresses the following lines in the tale:
"Oh,
was I such a big tree, like the others," sighed the little tree. "I could spread my branches far around, and with the
top look out into the wide world! Birds building nests on my boughs, and when
the wind blew I could nod so proud, like the others! "(12)
By the term "others" think Andersen
probably on contemporary great poets, as he had done in the tale "The Ugly
Duckling" (1843), where the swan baby wants and longs that it could fly
with the beautiful adult swans with the large wing span, which flew away from
those cold regions to warmer countries and major lakes. Andersen characterised,
incidentally himself as a migratory bird, more specifically in the shape of a
stork, partly because it flew away to warmer climes in the northern winter, and
partly because of his long legs and other appearance was reminiscent of his own
stature.
Andersen had in his younger days when he still was not as recognized and
famous, as he later became, in a hurry to be considered and accepted as the
other major Danish poets in the Danish literary Parnassus. It was especially
poets like Adam Oehlenschlaeger Henrik Hertz and Johan Ludvig Heiberg, he
measured up to, and especially he thought that he deserved to be treated at
least equal footing with a poet like Hertz.
About his impatient desires, Andersen among others
also wrote in a letter dated March 9,
1838 to his friend Frederik Læssøe in which he makes a sort of stock of his
past life and writings, which he was not entirely happy with. From the letter,
the following is quoted here:
[...] Yet
have I brought it to get a name, even outside my homeland shadow of this, but I
am still just as poor as helpless as when I with my bundle in his hand walked
through the West Gate and less happy, for then I had the soul full of beautiful
dreams, now contrast with the reality of a recognition that shows me what I
need, and it is almost impossible to win it! Oh, I could be in this world,
raising the spiritual treasure, I feel immersed in my breast! Never has there
been such ferment in my soul as in the last year and I think it must be seen in
my last novel, "Only a Fiddler": work with the previous two, I was
quite quiet different! Many say the "Improviser", it shows the most
maturity, the other two novels must surely be one of maturity: I will rather
believe that "Improviser” is a spiritual maturity flower, the others are
the fruit, but only have shaped itself; [...] (13)
His dissatisfaction and impatience with himself, Andersen also expressed in a
letter dated April 1, 1838 to his
friend Jette Hanck in Odense, where the following lines to be quoted here:
[...] You do
not know what battle is in my soul, I often despair about all my strength,
nothing seems to have done or could do, other times I see my name among the
living names, oh, this last is shown even disappointment, as always my heart's
best feeling has been. [...] (14)
But the rest was the adult Andersen's
impatience with himself and his artistic ambitions is not something new in his
life and writing career, for it had already appeared in his earliest literary
works, however, it would lead too far to get into here. But as an example the
travel account "Shadow Pictures" (1831), in which Andersen once again
took advantage of impatience and dissatisfaction subject and especially on the
subject of impermanence of all things. The latter is partly done in the
following passage:
The area around was me doubly beautiful
by his legend, there was also life and movement on this road, we met charcoal
burners with dark, distinctive faces, and peasants girls who looked like milk
and blood. The river Selke rushed past
chattering; told the show, what we saw: it's all very good.
Soon heard the din of the numerous shops,
we ascended to the strange Iron obelisk as Duke 1812 here has raised up over
his dead father: it is entirely of iron, and should be the highest in Germany. We wrote our names on it in pencil, like so many others had
done.
"To become immortal," it is a
thought which, even at the most childish, lit up from the poor human breast!
Soon, rain and snow wipe out this pencil
immortality, and a new genus will write their names in place of the obelisk
will also be obliterated by time. Thus, we seek
also the journey of life, to write our name on the world's great obelisk, where
one name is overridden by another, this large stone tablet itself is in ruins.
God knows what name will stand as the last? Probably the master builder who
raised it to his own honor and heal beautification. (15)
Motif with the restless impatience and impermanence of all things is even
stronger argued in Andersen's verse drama "Agnete and the Merman"
(1833), in which he himself appears in the guise of musician Hemming, who loves
Agnes, but his love is not reciprocated. Agnes preferred the Merman, with whom
she was married and had several children. Her and Hemmings parted ways and only
after fifty years later they meet again, both naturally aged, so that they do
not immediately recognize each other. Agnes -
which can be interpreted both as RiborgVoigt and Louise Collins and as
Andersen's own feminine aspect - had since regretted his past choices and left
his wife while Hemming - as Andersen himself - had remained unmarried. The
meeting between Agnes and Hemming takes place on a deserted beach and ends with
Hemming rejects Agnes, which occurs in the following dialogue in verse:
Where have you been, however, the long time?
Your youth look scares me. Woe to you! woe!
Death is your mother died your entire family,
I am an old man near my grave.
A g n e t e, is what gave the rich merman
you for your salvation? - - I fear you!
A g n e t e, I can not see your face!
O read your "Our Father" if you can!
Alas, no! you can not belong to us and Jesus! (16)
The deeper thought behind the action in
verse drama "Agnete and the Merman," is that the sea and the Merman's
respectively symbolizing nature and natural religion, as traditional
Christianity especially then considered as heathen. That's why Hemming, who in
the meantime has been reversed, rejecting Agnes. In his younger days, Andersen
was distinctly rationalist in religious matters, but over time he changed to
some extent, perception and professed a more pietistic form of Christianity. In
real life, it was actually the women - and men for that matter - that Andersen
was in love with who rejected him, but in his literature, he could turn things
upside down, if it suited him.
However seeks out Agnes his true mate, the Merman,
again, and this asks her pleas to return to him and the children. But when Agnes
will plunge into the waves, she falls dead on the seashore. Some time later
Hemming sits under a tree in the forest's outskirts, while he hums to himself
and think of Agnes. Meanwhile, the squire, Peter Palle and his hunters, who
have not had luck with the day's hunt, reached the spot. The lord has bet his
pack of dogs with his future bride, Miss Bodil, who is both a good rider and a
good shot, which of the two who could possibly shoot the biggest bird in the
woods. But while he and his hunters have spotted Hemming, orders lord for fun this
up in the tree, aims and shoots - and hits the poor musician in the heart, so
that he falls down dead. Mens man breakaway as:
So strong was not meant! But done is done.
It was only a pawn! Now tag him with!
A bird that he has hardly taken Bodil. (17)
In beginning of the fairy tale Andersen
says indirectly about his childhood in Odense, where he kept more of indoor
games and pursuits such as playing with his little puppet show and hear his
father tell stories or even read books. It was not something for the others and
more spirited boys, who came from more violent games and teasing by peers, not
least by the odd or peculiar Hans Christian. They considered him to be a "sissy" who
would rather be at home during her mother's skirts, yes, so that even she thought
that her dear son exhibited some behavioural traits, which could indicate that
perhaps he was what a later time described as gay. It was supported
by the fact that as a boy he preferred to
play with little girls because he felt more equal footing with those than with
boys. But the not so wild boys and girls was in season is captured by the quieter pursuits like gathering strawberries or
raspberries and chatting pleasantly together while:
[...] But the little
fir-tree was so feisty to grow, it was not thinking about the warm sun and
fresh air, it did not like the peasant children walked and chatted, when they
were out to pick strawberries or raspberries; Sometimes the children with a
large basket of raspberries or strawberries, wreathed on a straw, so they sat
at the little tree and said: "No! where it is pretty small," The tree
would not hear. (18)
Like most other children the same age, the
boy Hans Christian was of course also in school, but he admired and envied
those comrades who were in the higher classes, or even in grammar school, from
where they graduated and were now continuing their further life. The new-found
freedom was of course celebrated with feasting and joy, which Andersen is in
the following way in the story of "The Fir-Tree":
In the
autumn wood-cutter came and felled some of the largest trees, it happened every
year, and the young fir-tree, now ball pretty well grown, trembled so, for the
noble trees fell with a creak and clatter to the ground, the branches were hewn
from, they looked quite naked, long and narrow out, they were almost
unrecognisable, but then they were put on wagons and horses dragged them away.
Where were they going? What would become
of them?
In spring, when the swallows and the storks
came, the tree asked them: "Do not know where they were taken? Did you
meet them?
The swallows knew nothing, but the stork
a little reflection, nodded his head and said: "Yes, I believe it! I met
many new ships as I flew from Egypt, and the ships were magnificent masts
trees, I dare say that it was them, they smelled of pine, I can greet many
times the towers, the towers! "
"Oh, I wish I were big enough to fly
over the ocean! How is it that sea and what it looks like? "
"Yes, it would take too much to
explain," said the stork, and so it went.
"Rejoice in thy youth," said
the Sunbeams, "rejoice in thy fresh growth, and the young life that is in
you!"
And the wind kissed the tree, and the dew
wept tears over it, but that did the fir-tree not understand. (19)
No, the young Andersen could not enjoy all these things fully, for he
was permanently occupied by striving for recognition and fame as an actor or
poet. And as such interim mentioned and treated as peers or younger poets in the
same situation. It is probably this that lies behind the following piece of
text in the tale:
When it was around
Christmas, when quite young trees were felled, trees which often were not even
as large as or younger than the fir-tree, which had neither resting nor peace,
but would always go, these young trees, and they were chosen for their Beauty,
kept their branches, they were put on wagons and horses dragged them away out
of the woods.
"Where were they?" asked the fir-tree. "They are not bigger
than I am, indeed, one that was much less, why they kept all their branches?
Where were they going? "
"That
told us! we do know," chirped the sparrows. "We have been down in the
city looked in through the windows! We know where they go! Oh, they come to the
most splendid likely! We have looked into the windows and seen them being
planted in the middle of the warm room and ornamented with the most wonderful
things, both gilded apples, gingerbread, toys and many hundred lights! "
"And
then -?" asked the fir-tree, trembling in every bough. "And then?
What happens then? "
"Yes,
the more we have not seen! It was marvellous! "(20)
In the time of Hans Christian Andersen it was the custom to decorate the
Christmas tree with edible things like apples, honey cakes and big nuts, and
also hanged children's toys and gifts for the adults of the wood itself, and
not, as it later became a tradition that presents and toys were placed at the
foot of the tree. It stood for Andersen as the finest in life to be like a
Christmas tree, adorned with all good and festive and "eatable", that
is, become a poet or a writer who could give his readers some good and festive
and nutrient rich literary experiences that could cause the eyes to beam with
joy over it told. This succeeded as also for
the young Andersen to achieve later, with his first poems, stories, plays,
novels and fairy tales, which was largely praised by critics and well received
by audiences. But
before it had come so far, he had to continue to acquire knowledge and
education and find his own personal legs to stand on. But the longing and
impatience to achieve all this, and after entering the poetry’s "warm
room", yes, and beyond it, pursued him constantly. But he seemed personally to stagnate as it dragged on to
reach as far as he strove for, the implication is clear
from the following location in the tale:
"I wonder if I
have to go to this brilliant way!" Cheered the tree. "It's even better than going over the
sea! How I suffer from longing! However, it was Christmas! now I'm high and
wide, like the others who were taken away last year! - Oh, I was on the wagon!
I wish I were in a warm room with all the splendor and glory! and then -? Well,
then comes something even better, more beautiful, why else would they dress up
as me! there must be something even bigger, even grander -! but what? Oh, I
suffer! I yearn! I do not know how it is with me. "
"Rejoice with me," said air and sunlight! "Rejoice in thy fresh youth of the
Free!"
But it
welcomed nothing! it grew and grew, winter and summer, the green, dark green it
was, people who saw it said: "It is a beautiful tree!" and at
Christmas it was felled first of all. The ax cut through the pith, the tree
fell with a groan to the earth, conscious of pain and powerlessness, it could
not think of any luck, it was sad at leaving home, from the spot where it was
shot up; it showed in fact that it never again see its dear comrades, the
little bushes and flowers around it, perhaps not even the birds. The departure was not pleasant.
The tree
came to itself, when it in the yard, unwrapped with the other trees, heard a
man say: "It is magnificent! We do not use without it! "(21)
It
was the pain of having to say goodbye to childhood town and his childhood home
when he was 14 years old in September 1819 left both for the first time and on
his own went to the relatively long trip to the big city of Copenhagen. Even
then went traveling life to him in blood, which he years later expressed in and
with the motto, framed in the poem: "It is life to travel" (1842),
just as he pointed out that traveling was the best school for him. But he would
later make many and long travels abroad. So far he was approching years of
schooling in Slagelse and Elsinore grammar Schools 1822-27, with tutoring in
Copenhagen 1828 and second baccalaureate exam in 1829, both at Copenhagen
University. Andersen graduated with first character and could after second exam call themselves Master. Phil., a title he was so happy at that
he got it put on its nameplate. The prospect of a bright future accounted horizon. But before it had come, was
Andersen in 1825 invited to spend Christmas with the family Wulff at Naval
Cadet School at Royal Palace, where they had a Christmas ball, which was held
on the day before Christmas Eve. But after standing invitation he spent as
usual Christmas Eve with the dear family Oersted (Ørsted). That is why all was
of utter joy and bliss to him, and it is probably all that Andersen indirectly
expressed in and with the following passages in the story of "The
Fir-Tree":
Then came two servants in livery, and carried the
fir-tree into a big, Beautiful apartment. All around the walls hung portraits,
and by the great stove stood large Chinese vases with lions on the lid, there
were rocking chairs, silken sofas, large tables full of picture Books and toys
for one hundred times one hundred dollars - at least the children said so. And
the pine tree was hoisted up in a large tub filled with sand, but no one could see
that it was a quarter, for there was hung green clothes around, and it stood on
a large, handsome carpet. Oh, how the tree trembled! What was going to happen?
Both waiters and damsels went and decorated it. On one branch they hung little
nets cut out of coloured paper, Each net was filled with sweets; gilded apples
and walnuts hung as though they were growing fast, and over a hundred red, blue
and white small candles was stuck onto the branches. Dolls that looked exactly
like real people - the Tree had never seen such before - hovered in the green,
and at the very top of the top was put a big star of tinsel-gold, it was
magnificent, very Beautiful!.
"Tonight," they all said,
"this Evening to the beam!"
"Oh," thought the Tree, "however, it was tonight! Was the
candles just soon lighted, and I wonder what happens then? Will the trees from
the forest come and be looking at me? I wonder if sparrows fly at the window? I
wonder if I here grows firm and must be dressed winter and summer? "
Yes, you knew
all, but it had decent bark ache and ache bark is as bad for a tree, as
headache is for us.
Now the
candles were lighted. What brilliance, what splendour, the tree quivered in all
its branches, so that one of the candles burned in the green, the sweat
properly.
"God
preserve us!" shrieked the Misses and put out in a hurry.
Now the
tree did not even dare tremble. Oh, it was a horror! It was so afraid of losing
something of all his finery, and it was quite dazed at all the glory, - - and
now the folding doors were thrown open, and a troop of children rushed in as if
they would topple the entire tree, the older people came sober behind their
little ones, who stood silent - but only for a moment, so they cheered again as
it boomed after, they danced around the tree, and one present after another was
picked off. (22)
But as usually happens with a Christmas tree, so was its climax on
Christmas Day, and once it had been dancing around it and the gifts were handed
out, lost interest in the tree. It is also what Andersen describes in the
following passage in the story of "The Fir-Tree":
"What are they
doing?" Thought the tree. "What will happen?" And the candles burned
down to the branches and they burned down, they was extinguished and then the
children received permission to plunder the tree. Oh, they rushed upon it so
that it creaked in all its branches, and had it not glistening star been
fastened to the ceiling, so it was thrown down.
The
children danced about with their pretty toys, no one looked at the tree outside
the old Nanny, who came and peeped among the branches, but it was just to see
if there were not forgotten even a fig or an apple. (23)
This situation
was also what Andersen himself came out to experience, for all the hype and
buzz that took place after his real debut as a writer with "Walking
Tour" and the vaudeville "Love in Nicolai Tower", both 1829, and
who were both nice successes did not last. There followed an - albeit temporary
- slowdown in interest in his literary products, followed by various personal
problems, he understandably felt so dismal that it provoked the unpleasant
feeling of pessimism in his life. It hung presumably also with the fact that
some of his critics and audiences would much rather hear and read simple and
easily understandable stories by other authors, although these, however, after
all, could also have something to say that was worth listening to. And there
were people in Andersen's entourage, who believed that he could do well to
learn from that kind of literature. The situation seems to me that Andersen
indirectly described in the following paragraph in the tale:
"A
story! a story, "cried the children and pulled a small, fat man towards
the tree and he put himself under it," because we are in the green,
"he said," and the tree will have the Good pleasure of to hear! but I
tell only one story. Will you hear it for Humpty Dumpty, who fell down the
stairs and came, however, pride of place and got the princess! "
"Ivede-Avede!" Cried some, "Humpty Dumpty," cried
others, there was a yelling and screaming, only fir-tree remained quite still
and thought: 'Shall I do nothing, not do anything!" It had been with and
had done what it should do.
And the man told about "Humpty
Dumpty who fell down the stairs and came, however, in focus and married a
princess." And the children clapped their hands and shouted: "Tell!
tell," they would also have "Ivede-Avede" but only got the
"Humpty Dumpty". The Fir-Tree stood quite silent and thoughtful,
never had the birds in the forest told such tales. "Humpty Dumpty"
fell down the stairs, and yet got the princess! “Yes, yes, that is the way in
the world," thought the Fir-Tree and thought it was real because it was
such a nice man who told. "Well, who knows! Maybe I fall down too, and
marry a princess!" And it looked forward to the next day to be decked out
with lights and toys, gold and fruits.
"Tomorrow I will not tremble," thought he. "I will enjoy
myself in all my Glory. Tomorrow I shall again hear the story of "Humpty
Dumpty" and perhaps it on "Ivede-Avede". And the tree stood
silent and thoughtful all night. (24)
But it was
to come out different for both the tree and H.C. Andersen, because after he had
begun to tell fairytales, the first four were published in May 1835, meant the
literary criticism that he instead of wasting his talent at the minor child
chamber poetry ought to use it to write more serious literature, which he e.g.
had done with his first novel, "Improviser", which was released in
April 1835. The criticism took Andersen obviously near and decided to take a
break from the writing of fairytales.
In the morning came groom and maid.
"Now begins finery again," thought the tree, but they dragged
it out of the room, up the stairs to the attic, and in a dark corner where no
daylight shone, and they left him. "What does that mean," thought the
tree. "What can I do here? What am I here to get to hear? " And leaning
against the wall and stood and thought and thought. - - And the Good time had
it, for there were days and nights, none came up here and when there finally
got someone, so it was to put away large boxes in a corner, the tree was
completely hidden, you'd think that it was completely forgotten. (25)
But Andersen
could not be in the long run not to write fairy tales, in the beginning
adventure for children, because these occurred to him relatively easy to write,
and there was also a fairly large audience for this genre. Not least because
the fairy-tales usually appeared around Christmas and therefore could be used
for Christmas gifts, either to read aloud for a little less children, or as
independent reading material for older children, who himself could read, and
also for adults who himself liked to read adventure. It becomes in the story of
"The Fir-Tree" to the little mice come to visit the fir-tree on the
attic, and the tree says the mice its own story about where it comes from and
what it has experienced, especially the festive Christmas Eve:
"How
you tell nice," said the little mice, and the next Night they came with
four other little mice, who would hear the tree tell story, and the more it
talked, the more clearly remembered it everything too, and thought: "It
was very funny times! but they do come, they can come! Humpty Dumpty fell
downstairs, and yet married a princess, maybe I can get a princess," and
thought the tree in such a small, neatly birch that grew in the woods, it was
the fir-tree a real Beautiful princess.
"Who
is Humpty Dumpty?" Asked the little mice. And then the tree related the
whole story, it could remember every word, and the little mouse was ready to
jump up into the top of the tree just for pleasure. Next Night came a great
many more mice, and on Sunday two rats, but they said that the story was not
funny, and that did sadden the little mice, for now they seemed even less about
it.
"Can
you just one story," said the rats.
"Only
one," replied the tree, "I heard it on my happiest Evening, but at
the time I did not think of how Happy I was!"
"It's
an extremely bad history! They can not with bacon and tallow candles? None
larder-stories? "
"No," replied the tree.
"Yeah, so, thank you!” rats responded and went to theirs.
The little
mice were also kept away, and the tree sighed: "It was very pleasant, as
they sat around me the merry little mice and heard what I said! Now that is
over! - But I should consider myself Happy when I now take up again! "(26)
The term "larder-stories", aims Andersen is probably the so-called
"everyday stories," as he did consider for earthbound and
embarrassed, and he certainly need not even think to write, even if they had a
relatively large audience. Andersen therefore continued cheerfully along his
own and self-created author field, to write poems, plays, novels and fairy
tales, but especially some of his plays he did not have great luck with, partly
because they were criticized heavily by the theatre censors, and partly because
there was great difficulty in getting them built. And to get these built, were
quite important to him because he was addicted to the revenue that the pieces
could bring. These problems were also problems of a personal nature, such as a
temporary controversy with Captain Wulff, who was due to a misunderstanding on
his part, but that meant that the commander is no longer wanted to see
Andersen's visit with him and his family. Andersen had over the years you would
have produced regularly, yes, occasionally, daily, with the family, where he
was especially close friend of her daughter Jette Wulff and her youngest
brother, Christian Wulff. This was particularly the two who really appreciated
Andersen and also assessed his writings aloud. Afterward came also a rather
protracted dispute between Andersen and Edvard Collin, who otherwise was
particularly good friends, like Andersen felt like a member of the family whose
head, Jonas Collin, had been Andersen's guardian and support in his schooldays
in Slagelse and Elsinore, and also in many ways later helped Andersen emerged
as a writer. Andersen was also frequently and at times daily in the Collin home
in Broad Street (Bredgade), but there was at one time problems, as Andersen
here saw one of his unhappy, which means unrequited dual infatuations, namely
Edward and his younger sister, Louise. The situation was probably worse off
than the touchy Andersen, which at times was deeply depressed about the
situation, which however only clarified when the paternal Collin intervened and
got re-established the good relationship between Andersen and family. Anyway,
so left it all Christian Andersen with the feeling that he had been
'discarded'. (27)
One of the things just mentioned are probably behind the pessimistic
life adventure "The Fir-Tree" where, at once touching and sad ending
sounds like after it finally one day had been brought down from the dark corner
of the attic:
"Now life is beginning again," thought the tree, it felt the
fresh air, the first sunbeam - and now it was in the yard. Everything went so
quickly, that it forgot to look at themselves, there was that much to see
around it. The farm adjoined a garden, where everything looked blooming roses
hung fresh and fragrant over the little railing, linden trees flourished, and
the swallows flew around and said: "tweet-tweet-wit, my husband is
come!" But it was tree, they thought.
"Now
I shall live," cheered it and spread its branches far out, alas, they were
all withered and yellow, it was in the corner amongst weeds and nettles that it
was. The golden paper star is still stuck in the top and glittered in the
brightest sunshine.
In the
yard were playing a couple of the merry children at Christmas had danced around
the tree and was so excited about it. One of the smallest rushed and snatched
gold star from.
"Look
what is sticking up the ugly old Christmas tree," he said and stomped on
the branches till they crackled under his boots.
And the
tree saw all the floral splendour and freshness in the garden, and looked at
himself, and wished that it had been in the dark corner of the ceiling, the
thought of its fresh youth in the woods, on the merry Christmas Eve and on the
little mice who had listened to the story of Humpty Dumpty.
"All
over! All over, "said the old tree. "Had I but rejoiced when I could!
past! past! "
And then
the groom came and chopped the tree into small pieces, a whole bundle lay
there; nice flared up during the big brewer boiler, and it sighed so deeply
that each sigh was like a little shot; Then the children who play, came and sat
front of the fire, looked into it and shouted: "Pif! Pop," but at
every bang, there was a deep sigh, thought the tree on a summer day in the woods
one winter night there, when the stars shone; the thought of Christmas Eve and
Humpty-Dumpty, the only story it had heard and knew to tell - and then the tree
was burned out.
The boys
were playing in the yard and the youngest wore the gold star on his chest, as
the tree had borne its happiest evening; now it was over, and the tree was over
and the story with: past, past, and it becomes all the stories! (28)
Andersen had
often thought about his own youth, indeed, had already in 1832 started a little
longer autobiography, later known under the title "The Biography".
This he wrote, especially under the impression of his unhappy double love for
Riborg and Christian Voigt and partly also an incipient double love for Louise
and Edvard Collin. But Andersen was no Humpty Dumpty, who ended up getting his
princess in the physical life, his ambitions, hopes and dreams of becoming
something big, continued. Like the little boy who had taken the gold star and
fastened it at the heart space on its jacket, the star, who had been a
fir-tree's pride, it was this star in some ways a symbol of the soul, whose
immortality and eternal life, Andersen behind his life pessimism had always
believed and felt confident. (29)
It must also be mentioned here that Andersen's own life was not passed at the
time when he wrote the story of "The Fir-Tree", on the contrary he
got and still had many creative years working in, years during which he created
numerous poems, several novels and plays and not least a string of fairy tales
and stories that not only were for the children, but probably as much for
adults. But the past was, after all, anyway, because it is the nature of all
the perishable to end and be over, but also to come again as the sun every
evening goes down in the west and every morning again rises in the east. That
fairy tale or history, Andersen told about in many of his other life-optimistic
fairy tales, even life-pessimism never quite left him.
The tale
of "The Fir-Tree" seen in the fourth level of interpretation
The big question now is whether the tale ”The Fir-Tree” meets any of the
conditions set out in this thesis, that it could be called a cosmic fairytale?
This requires of course a greater or lesser levels of so-called cosmic ideas,
thoughts and ideas, which means life, such as this looks, from a cosmic
perspective forever. The ideas, thoughts and notions need not necessarily be
the author's own, but also from his contact with the so-called gold copies of
the site of the divine consciousness, Martinus describes as “The ocean of
Wisdom” ("visdomsoceanet"). One of the conditions that you can get
inspiring contact with the said reservoir of conclusive results, it is that
strength of mind that feeling and intelligence, is in perfect balance with each
other, implying a relatively high moral standard in the individual. This
balance is one of the prerequisites for, that the negative influence of gravity
energy on consciousness can be hamstrung and, secondly, that intuition ability
to take optimal function because it is the latter ability, that so to speak, is
the Channel to The ocean of wisdom.
That mental balance need not necessarily be permanent, but may well
occur instantaneously, whereby such an author could find inspirations that give
glimpses access to wisdom's conclusive results.
The question now is whether one can say that Andersen's mind was in balance
when he got the idea and wrote the story of "The Fir-Tree"? - As far
as I can judge, having put me into Andersen's personal situation around the
time when he wrote the story, he was badly affected by the Cultural trends
toward a growing materialism and atheism, which as previously mentioned, really
began to emerge in Europe and Denmark after the 1830th. But while he
was even reached a point in his life and his career as a writer, where he had
acknowledged and realized his own deplorable weakness in the form of incessant
striving forward, who rarely had left him in peace and who also had led many
unpleasant experiences and situations with them. But on the other hand, it was
precisely his quest to become a still better writer, especially because he felt
and believed that from God's hand had been imposed on him a special task, which
meant that he was and had to exert his abilities to the utmost, in order to
complete the task in the best way. In that he had, among other things written
in a letter dated May 15, 1838 to his friend Jette Hanck in Odense, where the
following should be cited here:
[...] - I study
at this time the older and younger Fichte, in philosophy, I find the tastiest
berries, while most poet forests only gives me the leaves and flowers. I'm
looking for a poem, suitable for my age and educational for my spirit, an ideal
image seem to remember, but the outlines are so shapeless that I can not
clarify it. Every great poet are giving me a part, but no more, of this huge body. Our
age has not yet found its poet! but when do he appears? And where? He must portray nature as
Washington Irving do, grasp the era, as Walter Scott could sing, like Byron,
and still be blown of our time, as Heine. Oh, how I wonder if this poetry
Messiah be born? Happy is he who dared to be his John. I wish I could burn
and forever destroy over half of which inner and outer necessity let me
publish, then I was happy. A couple of my poems should stand, some of the
tales, "Improviser" and "the Fiddler" and the Nobleman and
Lemvig-life in the "OT", although it is the only thing that sticks.
My life’s event is even poetry, it will always have the same interest as my best
work, but it do not belong to myself. [...] [...] I was born a writer, I feel, and I am conscious of how
everything comes into my life as poetry, and yet - I want more! Quantity of
material is missing me, often I am overwhelmed by ideas, but I yet do not raise
these to my ideal; [...] (30)
From the above quotation shows that Andersen at the time referred to did not
feel ready or qualified to write a larger, mature and modern literary work that
could match his lofty ambitions, and that he therefore hoped and wished that
there would appear a poet or writer who could cope with the task. This did not
mean he gave up the ambition even to compose a work - possibly several works -
which would make it justified to describe him as a literary "John"
who, like John the Baptist prepared the way for the next master. As readers of
this website will know, I take it in my own mind well-founded perception that
the intuitive thinker and sage Martinus (1890-1981) and his life's work to
fully meet the demands and expectations that Andersen asked to "Poetry's
Messiah" and in an other connexion called "The New Aladdin." (31)
In a letter of about December 22nd,
1838 to Henriette Hanck, Andersen gave a more accurate expression, which
reflects what it was, his ambitions as a writer went on:
"[...] Understand
me right: it is not the empty name I crave, no, I will express what I'm in some
holy moments even feel what no one, no one has said even the greatest! there is
a holy, sunken treasure in my chest, in the spirit’s midnight hour it can be
raised, but yet have failed me, and I despair at the thought that it never
happens. [...] The very
closest to me is cold, unsympathetic, Hertz and Heiberg one believes me almost
not worthy to loose shoe on. ".
Oh I get too vain by this misrepresentation. I feel God in me! - (32)
At the time
this is about, namely December 1838, Andersen could not so well know that it
would not be a single or a few of his works, but his complete works, which
actually came to function as a kind of "John-voice" in the mental
desert of materialism and atheism, which at the time was well on track to
displace the romantic idealistic and spiritualistic ideas, thoughts and ideas
about life and who should get even more wind in its sails over time and up to
the present day, where we provisionally write 2011.
But to return to what is the actual task in this section, namely to look at, in
which degree and extent to which the story of "The Fir-Tree" meets
the conditions and criteria set out in this thesis, that it could be called a
cosmic adventure. This requires of course a
greater or lesser levels of so-called cosmic ideas, thoughts and ideas, which
means life from a cosmic perspective of eternity, such as Martinus define this
within the framework of his cosmology. (33)
It should probably be immediately confirmed that the story of "The
Fir-Tree" actually contains ideas, thoughts and conceptions that could be
defined or characterised as cosmic. It can not be described as expressions of
cosmic insight to state that everything is fleeting and transitory, as it would
any normal intelligent self could see with their senses and minds. But there
are nonetheless a few glimpses of life optimism in this otherwise very
pessimistic tales of life as when for example it reads:
"Rejoice in thy youth," said the Sunbeams, "rejoice in
thy fresh growth, and the young life that is in you!", Or a little later:
"Rejoice with me," said air and sunlight! "Rejoice in thy fresh
youth out into the open" (34)
To pass away the world's glory! For the general idea in the story
of "The Fir-Tree" is that
everything in life is essentially fleeting and perishable, and the idea is not
consistent with what the cosmic consciousness and cognition predicts an about
life. According to Martinus and his cosmic consciousness, it is only seen from
a so-called low psychic sensory horizon, which means a sense of horizon, which
mainly uses only intelligence capability is only able to see and record
everything as an expression of goals, weight and velocity that everything in
life, therefore, is fleeting and transitory, that according to laws of
circulatory and contrast principle. It expresses Andersen to finish the story
of "The Fir-Tree" as follows:
And the tree saw
all the floral splendour and freshness in the garden, and looked at himself,
and wished that it had been in the dark corner of the ceiling, the thought of
its fresh youth in the woods, on the merry Christmas Eve and on the little mice
who had listened to the story of Humpty-Dumpty.
"All
over! All over, "said the old tree. "I wish I had enjoyed myself as I
could! past! past! "
And the
groom came and chopped the tree into small pieces, a whole bundle lay there;
nice flared up during the big brewer boiler, and it sighed so deeply that each
sigh was like a little shot; Then the children who play, came and sat in front
of the fire, looked into it and shouted: "Pif! Pop," but at every
bang, there was a deep sigh, thought the tree on a summer day in the woods one
winter night there, when the stars shone; the thought of Christmas Eve and
Humpty-Dumpty, the only story it had heard and knew to tell - and then the tree
was burned out.
The boys
were playing in the yard and the youngest wore the gold star on his chest, as the
tree had borne its happiest Evening; now it was over, and the tree was over and
the story with: past, past, and it becomes all the stories! (35)
The life-pessimism that Andersen
expressed in the story of "The Fir-Tree," left him never really completely,
which inter alia, in his much later and more serious adventure: “The Wind Tells
about Valdemar Daae and His Daughters” (1859), whose motto or chorus sounds
this way: "Hu-u-out! rush away? ". Here, Andersen is again using
inspiration from Ecclesiastes. It is also true 10 years later, in the
Beautiful, but life-pessimistic poem "Comes never again” (1869):
Everything rushes as wind,
here is not
abiding place.
Soon fades the
rose on the cheek,
the smile and
- tears too.
Why be sorrowful?
Sorrow and
mischief rushes away;
Everything
rushes away as leaves,
the time and
man too!
Everything is vanishing – vanishing,
youth, your
hope and your friend.
Everything
rushes like wind
and comes
never again! (36)
But seen from a so-called
high-psychic sensory horizon where everything is experienced and acknowledged
as expressions of living beings existence and activity fades the idea of
everythings transience and impermanence itself, in favor of an experience and
awareness that everything and everyone on the contrary is basically eternally
existent. Namely, by virtue of the living beings eternal basic structure and
basic nature, which in turn reflects the eternal triune principles such as
these so ingeniously is put forward in Martinus' cosmic analysis.
However, the Rays this finding obviously does not know that there are "The
Fir-Tree" as a very beautiful and poetic tale of a living being's life as
a life from childhood to old age and death. In some of his other adventures,
such as the fairy tale "The Flax," Andersen demonstrates the
contrary, that in his life optimistic moments thought and was convinced that
the living creatures, humans naturally inclusive, are eternal participants in
the large and grand adventure of eternal life.
© August
2011. September 2011 translated into English by Harry Rasmussen.
***************************
Re. abbreviations, see Abbreviations - the in the articles used
abbreviations of titles, names etc..
1 Dal & Nielsen II, p. 41-48. - Re.
Andersen's perception of transience, see also the article “Thoughts about
a waste paper - about Hans Christian Andersen's first book, "Youth
Studies"” (1822).
2 Dal
& Nielsen II, pp. 49-79. - See if any. also the articles "The
cosmic death" - or "cosmic unconsciousness" - a
prelude to the new article on the fairy tale "The Snow Queen". A
story about what Martinus describes as "the sexual pole principle"
and "sexual pole transformation", The false perspective - the
physical organism as a false centre, and A cosmic fairy tale - the
tale "The Snow Queen" (Part 1). - Re. Ecclesiastes. The main
message of the book is that everything is a cycle of appearance and transience,
thus all human effort is wasted, because man has no influence on the life of
God predetermined time. All is vanity of vanities and striving After wind, for
whatever one is doing in his life, then the ultimate goal being the tomb.
3
The word 'incorruptible' means indestructible. Read the poem in chapter
8th of Harry Rasmussen: H. C. Andersen, H. C. Ørsted and Martinus - a
comparative study. Publisher Kosmologisk Information, 1997.
4
The poem "Heavy Days", which is here
reproduced with modern spelling, is quoted from H. C. Andersen poems. The selection by
H.Topsøe-Jensen. Drawings by Ebbe Sadolin. Publisher Spektrum. Copenhagen,
1966. The poem was originally printed in the Illustrated Journal on June
13,1875, ie approx. a few months before Andersen himself died. The poem is also
reproduced in the article Contemporary wisdom - about HCA.s vision of
science's reductionism.
5 The
poem "The Miracle", which is here reproduced with modern spelling, is
quoted from H. C. Andersen poems. The selection by H. Topsøe-Jensen.
Drawings by Ebbe Sadolin. Publisher Spektrum. Copenhagen, 1966.
6
For further information, please see. Articles with topics concerning.
brain debate.
7
Read the poem in chapter 8th of Harry Rasmussen: H. C. Andersen, Hans
Christian Ørsted and Martinus - a comparative study. Publisher Kosmologisk
Information 1997 .- Re. concepts of atheism and materialism, see for instance
the article Atheism and materialism - the philosophical core problems
and Martinus' perception of atheism and materialism.
8
Dal & Nielsen, pp. 41-48.
9
Bille & Bogh: Letters to H. C. Andersen, Letter
No. 277, pp. 564-66. - 'Comic tales in prose': Mrs. Wulff here refers probably
to the young Andersen's short story "The Apparition at the Grave of
Palnatoke " (1822). - 'The third part of Oehlenschläger' and 'novel': it
has not been possible for me to find out what it is, Mrs. Wulff think on. But
Oehlenschläger was in 1823 since long an established poet, playwright and
author.
10 A & C, pp. 477-79. - The word 'hamper'
must mean 'inhibitions'. - The phrase "the 4 major prophets" should
probably be talking about Oehlenschlaeger Ingemann, Hertz and Heiberg, while 12
small must be some kind of contemporary and less talented and not so prominent
poets.
11 A & C, p. 480.
12 Dal & Nielsen I, p. 41
13 Bille & Bogh: Letters from H.
C. Andersen 1, Letter No. 119, pp. 410-12.
14
Bille & Bogh: Letters from H. C. Andersen 1,
Letter No. 121, pp. 416-18. - "Even disappointment, as always my heart's
best feelings have been." With these words allude Andersen presumably
especially to his unrequited and therefore unhappy dual infatuations, including
in Riborg Voigt and her brother, Christian, and Louise Collin and - especially
- her brother, Edvard. See if any. details in the articles H. C. Andersen
- and his sexual orientation. An attempt at an objective assessment,
and H. C. Andersen - and his double-infatuations. Introduction.
15 Hans Christian Andersen: "Shadow
Pictures of a Journey to the Harz mountains, the Saxon Switzerland, etc., etc.,
in the summer of the 1831. Illustrated by Henrik Bloch. With an Afterword by H.
Topsøe-Jensen. Nordlunde Printing House, Copenhagen, 1968. The quotation is
from page 94
16 Collected Works XI, p. 541.
17 Collected Works XI, p. 546 - See if any.
article, "... a changeling, a very fine child ...". A
contribution to the discussion of Hans Christian Andersen's biological
ancestry. Anderseniana the 2006. (The article does not involve Martinus'
Cosmology, but can still be read on this website). Read also "... a
changeling, a very fine child ..." - Additions and corrections 2008. -
Read any. also the article The sources for H. C. Andersen's works
(part 4) in which the verse drama "Agnete and the The Merman"
is mentioned.
18 Dal & Nielsen I, p. 41
19 Dal & Nielsen, p. 42
20 Dal & Nielsen, pp. 42-43.
21 Dal & Nielsen I, p. 43
22 Dal & Nielsen, pp. 43-44. -
Quarters: a bucket for waste.
23 Dal & Nielsen I, p. 44 -
'Collar': top.
24 Dal & Nielsen I, p. 45
25 Dal & Nielsen I, p. 45
26 Dal & Nielsen, pp. 46-47.
27 'everyday stories': Psychological bourgeois
novels and short stories. Such was Thomasine Gyllembourg-Ehrensvärd, b. Buntzen
(1773-1856) from 1828 well known for. She was first married to writer Peter
Andreas Heiberg (1758-18:41), with whom she had a son Johan Ludvig Heiberg
(1791-1860), poet and director of the Danish Royal. Theatre 1849-56. - Re.
Andersen's relationship to the Wulff family, see for instance. The article H.
C. Andersen and families Wulff and Koch. Re. Andersen's relationship to
the Collin Family, see e.g. article Andersen's fourth double-infatuation
(1) - dual love for Edvard Collin and his sister Louise, and Others
following articles.
28 Dal & Nielsen, pp. 47-48.
29 Dal & Nielsen I, p. 48 - Re.
Andersen's childhood and adolescence; see. 2nd Main Title: * Hans Christian
Andersen's life and repetition from 1805 to 1835.
30 Letter quote is from Andersen's letter
of May 15, 1838 to his friend Henriette
Hanck (1807-46). Anderseniana Vol XI, 1943, p. 249 At his friend Frederick
Læssøe’s recommendation (see his letters to A. of March 18 and April 1, 1838,
Bille & Bogh: Letters to H.C. Andersen, respectively pp. 419-23 and
pp. 423-5) read Andersen at the time the philosophical direction that resulted
from the German philosopher Johann Gottlieb Fichte (1762-1814). In his
philosophy reincarnation is included as an essential component, and it
reinforced probably Andersen's own perception of same. - Re. concept and the
term "Poetry Messiah", see the article "Poetry's
Messiah" - about H.C. Andersen’s expectation concerning life poetry’s
'Redeemer'.
31 See the article The poetic
universe. – H. C. Andersen and Cosmology 1, and The new Aladdin.
– H. C. Andersen and Cosmology II.
32 Anderseniana Volume XI, 1943, pp.
305-08.
33 Re. in this thesis identified 9
criteria for an adventure or fairy tale could be described as cosmic: see the
article The four levels of interpretation in H. C. Andersen's
authorship, and Cosmology and tales etc..
34 Dal & Nielsen, p. 42 and.43.
35 Dal & Nielsen I, p. 48
36 Re. fairy tale "The Wind Tells …":
Dal & Nielsen III, pp. 103-112. - The poem "Comes never again!": "H.
C. Andersen poems. The selection by H. Topsøe-Jensen. Drawings by Ebbe Sadolin.
Publisher
Spektrum, Copenhagen, 1966.
© August 2011. September 2011 translated into English by Harry Rasmussen.
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